AN emergency committee was called at Glasgow City Council to discuss plans to cope with Brexit and the potential damage to the city.

The four strong committee of the council leader, Susan Aitken, Deputy leader , David McDonald, the Lord Provost, Eva Bolander, and Frank McAveety, leader of the opposition met in private with senior council officials to discus what difficulties the city could face.

Potential protests, disruption to food supplies and staffing issues if EU nationals choose to leave are all issues the council could gave to deal with.

The very rare decision to convene an Emergency Committee was taken as the possibility of a no deal Brexit grows as we head towards the UK leaving the European Union on March 29.

Council officers in various departments have already been working on proposals to cooperate with partners, like the police, Scottish Government and health board in the event of an no deal Brexit.

As well as the potential for disorder and protests, the committee discussed the likely impact on council services and the wider role the council would need to be prepared for post Brexit.

Possible disruption to supplies for food means school meals and Cordia services to the elderly and vulnerable could be affected if certain foodstuffs or key ingredients are not readily available.

In the longer term the impact on the city’s economy and what that could mean for jobs, inward investment and building projects has been considered.

The meeting agreed to set up a Brexit preparedness group to meet in the future to discuss and devise specific responses to individual risks once the situation becomes clearer.

At the moment it is about ensuring the council has structure in place to allow a response

A spokesman for Glasgow City Council, said: ““Officers across the council family have been looking, for some time, at the likely impact of Brexit on both the organisation and the city.

“Yesterday’s meeting allowed elected members to have oversight of that work, including an assessment of key risks in the immediate aftermath of leaving the European Union and in the longer term.

“It was decided that a cross-party Brexit forum would be established to continue that role in the weeks and months ahead.”